The Horus Heresy
by Scarpa Floe
Summary: In a world of conquest and darkness, the Emperor embarks on a crusade to bring order to the galaxy. Nothing seems able to stop him, but the rot from within soon erupts and the kin wars begin. An unfolding tale of treachery and violence begins. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1: A New Threat

**Chapter One: **A New Threat

K'Reng leader of the Iron Coalition glanced around his throne room. Shiny steel walls, rigorously polished nightly to reflect the bright gleam from the under floor lighting. Statues formed from the purest adamantium adorned the corridors along with many objects of art captured from the primitive worlds, surrounding his home world of Prime. The clanging of boots could be heard coming down the hallway, looking up he saw his chief advisor enter the room. His skin was gnarled and cracked with age, his movements stiff betraying the onset of arthritis settling in. His mind however had lost none of its sharpness. Standing to attention the advisor addressed him.

"My lord, the Imperial forces are on the move again, as we speak there legions are overrunning our neighbours armies in the Rotrini Cluster. There fleets were scattered and the remnants are now engaged in a series of running battles."

Waving his hand scornfully, K'Reng laughed.

"About time too. They were weak; I was considering invading them myself. They are an embarrassment to our race."

"As I have said before, their level of technology is quite high, what they lack in numbers they made up for in quality. Whilst they lack your illustrious armies, their droids in particular cannot be denigrated. I recommend we abandon our outer colonies…"

"What? Abandon them? Do you know how much the coalition relies on the ore from our miners there? The Imperiums borders are parsecs away, our analysts estimate that they will attack in around two year's time. We need the ore to prepare our defences. There would be uproar in the senate if I tried to pass that motion!" More shocked than anything, K'Reng shook his head in surprise. "Honestly Mi'Rath, I thought better of you… of all people you should understand this the most, you were around in the civil revolts of '832."

"My lord, with the utmost respect and devotion,"

"Mi'Rath… my bath is due, leave now…" Mi'Rath turned to leave. "And Mi'Rath, stop worrying… you are my closest advisor. One would hate to see you age prematurely." Leaning back into his seat K'Reng pressed a button summoning a quartet of servants who reverently lifted his throne and carried it to the executive baths deep within the inner palace.

Mi'Rath strode out of the hall, his face a mask of rage. The fop had no idea! The Imperial fleets were fast, they used the warp with impunity, powerful psykers guiding them through the swirling eddies and currents. Their god emperor led them against all who refused to surrender to his rule. Rumours poured in daily about the strength and size of his armies. Legions of super warriors encased in impenetrable armour. Resisting even the most powerful bullets. The shots that wounded rarely seemed to kill them they could keep fighting after a dozen wounds. He had vowed to protect the coalition as his family had for generations before him, and he would protect the coalition even if he had to protect it from his liege. Sighing, he entered his room, closing his eyes, he kissed the photo of his dead wife, mutting 'Forgive Me'. He pulled out a long slender katana from its mount on the wall, it was the ceremonial mark of his office and was fitting that it died with him. Lifting out his auto pistol he smiled, in his youth he had trained as a bodyguard and even though it broke all of his training and methodology he had to act for the good of all… he had to kill K'Reng.

Walking out of his room, he took a deep breath and walked out of his room in the outer palace. Looking up at the impregnable citadel in front of him, he could feel the raw power of the outer walls. With all its turrets, soldiers and plates of solid plascrete for a second he could almost fool himself into thinking that his nation's invulnerability was tangible. Instead he steadied himself and walked up to the main gate, two giant men waited there. Equipped with oversized laser rifles they were a match for any foe that had yet been faced before. In front of them were reinforced plastic barriers that could stop even the shells of their greatest tanks. Shaking his head he remembered the reports of the Myrian system, the inhabitants there had researched into genetic development. Much as the so-called 'Emperor' had in fact. They were renowned as geniuses and had recently developed the power of their minds to such a degree that they could destroy a man's mind from a mile away. That didn't save them when the Emperor himself arrived with a fleet, which had reduced the planets in the system to bare rock. Leaving as suddenly as it had arrived. The Emperor's power had never been felt so keenly before. It was like a sleeping giant had awoken and now its roar rippled across the galaxy. Nobody could fight the Emperor and win, the size of his armies was unparalleled and the skill of his legions was unmatched… he was almost at the gates when the first of the expected alarms went off.


	2. Chapter 2: Lightning War

**Chapter Two: Lightning War**

The bridge was a flurry of activity, Jaghatai Khan sat tensely in his command chair as he rapidly digested the reports coming in from his crew. A brief smile graced his face as the fleet dropped out of warp.

"Proceed to phase three." He commanded, his first officer rapidly confirming.

"Phase three under way sir."

His strike cruisers began to circle the planet; the orbital defences lasted seconds against the huge lances of energy and lascannon batteries that swept azure blasts across the planet. His Cobra's swept through the ill prepared defending ships. Signalling with a kurt chop, he crisply ordered phase four to begin. At once, the first wave of the invasion began, the strike cruisers surged into the lower atmosphere, billowing flames, licking at the massively armoured panels as they descended towards the awaiting ground troops. Missile batteries on the surface swiftly opened up, there deadly contents streaking into the sky and impacting into the shields of the Imperial cruisers, the 'Blade of Reason' suffered minor damage to its port battery and landing gear, the 'Tsunami' suffered hull breaches on decks 5, 8 and 13 before there tormentors could be silenced. Thankfully the power armoured marines were able to survive the vacuum of space until the breaches could be sealed.

* * *

The defenders hastily assembled their forces; a churning cloud of dust betrayed a full regiment of fifty thousand men manoeuvring round the capitol. The glittering sensor display indicating that another nine regiments were rapidly approaching, three of them would be there within the hour.

The air on the planets surface was dry and dusty, J'Dang awaited with his men for the Imperial assault his throat parched, silence filled the air, he gulped again from his water bottle the cool water at once refreshing and reassuring. He glanced over his shoulder, the men were laying prone, laser rifles waiting for the invading enemy, a rocket launcher was being calibrated to deal with enemy armour and a gatling gun was being loaded. Tanks churned through the sun scorched grass behind him, their engines roaring - the sound was reassuring even though if the engine heat was yet another discomfort. There were fifty thousand men surrounding the capitol, millions of soldiers were surrounding the various cities on the planet and another quarter of a million soldiers were heading directly to the battlefield.

He was confident of the coalition's strength, a hardened veteran; he had fought in many campaigns against the coalition's enemies. Warp space was relatively quiet here allowing the coalition to rapidly grow in size. Before each battle doubt had always entered his mind, and after each battle he had laughed at himself for those same doubts. This time the familiar doubt entered his mind, but it was different now, the navy had been scattered like chaff… the navy, the iron ring that had been undefeated for centuries. The buttress which had fended off all assailants had been defeated. He ran his gritty hands through his hair and mused on these thoughts. Glancing up to the sky, his heart sunk as streaks appeared in the sky. Like a thousand shooting stars they descended down towards the lines of men and vehicles encircling the capitol. They were too fast for the laser batteries to target and J'Dang watched them grow larger as the men grew uneasy, whispers started, then shouts of fear. In horror, he suddenly threw himself to the ground. Crawling for cover through the hot, shaking earth. He paused to hear chaos break out, the men were fleeing as the first pods impacted. They smashing aside both infantry and tanks alike and then opened up. J'Dang looked over to see one of the pods. It opened like a flower coming to bloom, to expose a nest of tubes. Time slowed down as it burst into fire with a roar, small gouts of flame heralded the arrival of a thousand grenades. They scattered around the ground, tearing up the earth with hundreds of tiny explosions, he watched as his comrades were torn apart, most disintegrated under the lethal barrage, body parts, jelly and dirt rained all around him, others were not so lucky and died slowly. Shrapnel tore through his cheek, and he clashed his hand to his face. Bitterly cursing and crying out in pain he called to his men.

"Retreat! Reform on the ridge, 27 dash 08!"

They had to reorganise before the enemy assault began. Already beams of power were slicing down from the skies and crippling the defending batteries. His artillery support rumbled up to the hill behind then, at least he wasn't alone. He quickly recovered his nerve and tried to take stock of the situation, the formations were fragmented. They needed to find cover and rebuild the line. He called out to his remaining men, rolling to his knees he winced in pain and then began to run. Some of his men, the survivors ran towards him. Gesturing towards the tanks which had already mounted the ridge, he summoned forth all his energy and sprinted towards the metal beasts. They somehow seemed immune to the enemy attack, the grenades bouncing off the titanium hull. Fortunately for the coalition, the bombardment seemed to be of low power and their armour was shielding them. More pods descended this time impacting in between the infantry and the tanks. More confident that he knew what he was facing now, J'Dang watched one land near to him; he leapt to the floor and covered his face to shelter it from the expected storm of shrapnel. He shouted to his men to do the same.

"Incoming! Take Cover!"

He held his head down and cowered, trying to protect his bleeding face from the blinding explosions he expected. They came, but only a few and noticeably further away. Screams from his men alerted him, R'Naro was running forward shouting incoherently, but J'Dang refused to lift his head. He waited for the intensity to die down and then finally stop. The tanks would be their bastion, providing a safe place for them to recover. The thud of feet forced his eyes up. A moan of despair slipped from his lips. The pods were different. A single cannon was in each pod, and they were all rotating round and systematically destroying the tanks with shell fire. His infantry were fleeing away from the tanks now, he tried to call them to him, they were being split up! Why could the fools not see it? The remaining tanks managed to kill a few of the pods, but it was a battle, which they couldn't win. There were too many pods and the pods had the advantage of surprise. More pods came screaming down, accompanied by a thunderous roar. J'Dang started to run.

In front of him he saw three of the largest ships he had every seen start to land, each the size of a small city. His men turned and ran back towards the cannons. The new pods were landing by the cannons. Not knowing what the pods would contain J'Dang prayed to the Earth Goddess to keep him safe. Gripping his rifle he charged forwards, fear driving his exhausted frame towards the smouldering wrecks of the tanks. By now, terror had wracked his body. He had no idea what to expect from this new threat. He watched with trepidation as the first of the new pods opened up, inside he was surprised to find three bikes being lowered on ramps, there riders encased in white armour revving there engines, and filling the air with a guttural roar. He slowed and looked again; the riders must be at least seven to eight foot tall when standing up! Gritting his teeth he swung up his rifle and sprayed streams of laser fire towards them. Cursing he braced himself against the recoil and watched as the shots merely bounced off the solid frame of the bikes and the massive armoured plated figures that were their riders.

"Form line! Open fire! For the Glory of the Coalition!"

With a sudden roar the bikes spun off towards the advancing troops, he fired upon them again joined by his comrades. Desperation filling him, he watched as a web of laser fire began to form, but the enemy was too fast, they were amongst them in seconds streaking past him and spraying death from there pistols. Each shot fired an explosive round which popped heads like melons and tore gaping holes in the torsos of his men. Swords whirled in their hands; some had some kind of rotating jaws on the blade, whilst others crackled with a deep blue resonating colour. He kept running forward. His men ran beside him - less now, but desperation giving them all a new strength. He was a veteran of many campaigns, he had seen many terrifying sights but the sheer helplessness of the situation completely overwhelmed him. To his left K'Teth was decapitated, a grenade took out M'Fos and P'Nar. Throwing himself to the ground he avoided one of the white armoured fiends which tormented him, crawling now he was almost at the smouldering corpse of the lead tank, tears streamed as he covered his face in hands and wept. His body shuddered, he never even saw the columns of rhinos emerge from the strike cruisers and hurtle towards the capitol. His mind was numb as he curled up into a ball and blanked everything from his head. He never even saw the rider who fired a bolt at him; the adamantium tip penetrated his skull killing him before the main part of the bolt exploded sending shards of skull and brain tissue over the torn, shredded soil surrounding him.


	3. Chapter 3: The Palace

**Chapter Three:** The Palace 

Heriati was Captain of the 3rd company of the White Scars legion; so far the invasion had gone like clockwork. Massive concentration of force had destroyed the forces surrounding the capitol with few casualties. The strike cruisers had taken damage from the defending laser and missile batteries but nothing the techmarines couldn't handle. The defending reinforcements were too slow to be able to affect the outcome of the battle. In fact by the time they arrived his marines would have taken up position on the city walls and would have dug in around the city.

Glancing at the holo map in his command rhino, he barked orders to his men.

"Viper Squadron, enemy reforming behind you, strike now, Jade Squadron your target has been changed to contact Beta-Charlie. Hawk Squadron assist Viper Squadron they are taking too long to clear the tanks, Horoto, send your assault marines against the walls, I want the gate and walls taken intact, no demolition, I repeat, no demolition! When the gate is taken, clear the walls and assume a defensive perimeter, then await my arrival."

Other captains from his fellow legions used land raiders as their command vehicles, but not Heriati, like the other White Scar captains he felt they were too slow. Instead they tank hunted with Predators, and used Rhinos to transport and command there troops. For the same reason, the first company refused to use terminators. Speed and power was what made his chapter invincible, not armour.

"Meri, drive us to the gate. Tsunami squadron follow us in, assume a staggered wedge."

The command rhino leapt forward, tracks clawing deep into the ground and sending up a plume of ripped and torn turf. Explosions dug into the earth around them, splattering mud across the windscreen and knocking the customised rhino from side to side, a gunner on the top fired his storm bolter around trying somehow managing to maintain a steady aim. Behind them the rhinos that comprised Tsunami squadron drove through the storm of explosives. They were tossed around like child's toys in an ocean storm but still continued forward oblivious to the artillery fire. A rhino took a direct hit and was surrounded by gouts of flame; he frowned until he saw the Rhino fly forwards, hull breached but still functional. The marines inside took full advantage of the new aperture by firing upon the enemy. The squadron emerged unscathed from the inferno.

He quickly checked his display and keyed in a counter suppression request and was pleased to see the strike cruiser 'Wrath of Khan's' response. The icons representing the artillery winked out of existence. Looking up he could see the palace's gates grow larger as they rapidly approached it; explosions still rocked the top of the rear walls as the gates loomed in front of them. The gates slowly swung open, and with calm anticipation, he checked his weapons were properly holstered and then drew one each of his bolt pistols and power swords.

As the Rhino passed the gates, and approached the palace, he bellowed "It is time! Blow the inner door!" As he finished his sentence a hunter killer missile left his rhino and smashed open the main doors. Gritting his teeth he prepared to attack.

"And… release the shadow guard."

Then time slowed down. He left his rhino at a run, barely seeing his comrades as they flanked him but instinctively knowing they would be there, bolts spewing from their pistols. The defending soldiers were being mown down like wheat. Heriati leapt to the ground and rolled forward as a torrent of laser fire streaked past his head. He jumped back up onto his feet just in time to see a barrage of krak grenades destroy the defending emplacement.

Then, they were inside the building.

The Shadow guard automatically split up as they entered, following the attack plan dictated by Jaghati Khan himself. Several entered the buildings air vents whilst more continued down the corridors. The internal defence had crumbled before the onslaught. Heriati ran past prepared fallback positions, now empty. He sprinted past the bodies of soldiers caught by surprise by the Shadow guards determined assault, there world a morass of scattered limbs and lingering pain.

As he continued down the corridor his genetically enhanced senses picked up something. Slowing to a pause he saw a door to his right begin to open, a flash of colour appearing behind it. Shoving his bolt pistol into the gap with one hand he sprayed bolt shells causing screams to bellow forth from behind it. With his other hand he sheathed his blade and pulled out a frag, activating it he booted open the door and hurled the grenade into the now exposed corridor. The dying soldiers looked up. Limbs were scattered from the devastating volley he had just delivered and the walls were painted with blood, gore and the entrails of men whose death came swift. Those who had survived were in agony, but the grenade soon put them out of their misery. Leaping out of sight and sprinting back down his original corridor, he vaguely noticed reinforcements coming into the corridor, expressions of shock and horror on their faces. A smile crossed his face as he heard the frag go off right in the midst of them obliterating his pursuing foes. He swiftly ejected his empty clip and reloaded the bolt pistol.

He knew without checking his wrist comp that he was nearing the inner sanctum, the route had been memorised from scans performed on the flagship during the initial approach. Glancing at the floor he saw a dead Shadow Warrior, eyes narrowing he vaulted over it as he approached the open door. He was instantly aware that this was the objective, the door led to the throne room. Rolling past the beams of fire that erupted from a bank of turrets encircling the room, he watched them explode into flames as volleys of bolt fire and krak grenades flew from the rest of the Shadow Warriors who had begun to converge behind him. Directly in front of him was the main entrance to the throne room, the room rapidly filling with guards who supplemented a contingent of huge robotic constructs. All at once the enemy opened fire, deadly accurate weapons fire hosing into the advancing Shadow Guard. Leaping up into the air and drawing his second pistol he unloaded his clips into the ranks of guards and then before he had even hit the ground he discarded his pistols and drew twin power swords, their thin shimmering blades sliced through armour and skin like paper. Sweat dripped from inside his armour, instantly absorbed by the complex machinery inside. As his body whirled through the enemy, limbs fell at his feet. Ducking under a soldier's rifle he thrust up with his blade. As he rolled to the ground his swords flickering in a shimmering wave of death through his opponents he threw himself towards the entrance. He formed a fighting wedge with his brothers. The screams of the dying proved a fitting introduction for the Coalition's leaders who lurked behind the door. The Shadow Warriors armour, normally jet-black was covered in the vibrant, crimson blood of the freshly slain. Exultation filled them as they can closer to there main objective.

"For the Emperor and Jaghati Khan!" Burst from his lips as he led the charge against the last of the defenders, a dozen voices answered his cry and they struck against their foes with the speed of the cobra.

* * *

**TheIronWarrior** – Thanks for the feedback, it is good to know that people are enjoying my work. You are correct, the white marines are White Scars. 


	4. Chapter 4: The Final Solution

**Chapter Four:** The Final Solution 

K'Reng stood his hands clasped tightly behind his back, palms sweating. He watched as the attacking legion destroyed his armies on the tactical screen. His generals were flustering, his guards stood in defensive positions to repel the attackers when they burst into the command chamber.

He glanced again at the screen as the icons representing his reinforcements began to wink out of existence. Glimmering holographic starships obliterated them as they orbited his world with megatons of destruction. The Emperors forces had butchered his elite guards and crushed all who opposed them. His armies, which had marched across the stars, conquering all who stood before them were mere children compared to the Imperial Space Marines. Bitterness welled in his heart, and a tear rolled down his cheek. His face screwed up in fury as another tear splashed upon the marble floors.

"Why me? Why now! Why am I defeated where all my forefathers conquered?"

Weeping openly he cast his eyes around darkly as an idea formed in his mind. He silently checked to see if anyone was looking at him. Nobody would conquer K'Reng! Nobody would defeat him! Even in death he would conquer, after all is not the God King of the Iron Coalition invincible! He would bow to nobody, he is a god, a divine ruler… and now it is time for his destiny! He would ascend to rule the heavens! These are just barbarians, a witless sign from the gods that his time on this plane was over, he must join their ranks. Glancing up at his remaining advisors, he took one last look at the viewscreen. He saw the battle was now outside the throne room itself. His men had seconds, no more. Then they would be mopped up, a precious few Shadow Guard had fallen. His men had failed him; it was time to stem this whirlwind of destruction while he had the chance. He must act before the entrance to his lair is breached. His mind was crystal clear; he had never, ever been so sure in his life.

"Chancellor, it is time… we will destroy the planet! Activate the palaces self-destruct and detonate our remaining weapon stockpiles, if we cannot rule then we will make sure that the resulting nuclear winter renders the planet uninhabitable for them too!"

Seeing hesitation, K'Reng vaulted the throne and pushed him to one side, he raced to the security room just to the side of the throne room. The last thing he saw as he left the room was the remaining Shadow Guard placing charges on the door to the throne room, his last guards raced to cover the entrance.

Barging into the operators in his way, K'Reng placed his hand on the auto-destruct console, the machine read his DNA and flashed for confirmation.

"K'Reng, activating auto-destruct, passcode is …"

At that moment, the doors blew open and the Shadow Guard stormed in, the security chambers slid shut their blast doors automatically before the Imperials could respond.

K'Rengs corpse fell to the floor. His skull had been penetrated by a bullet from behind. Mi'Rath stood behind him with his autopistol raised. Bullets thudded into him as the operators responded to his threat; he collapsed to the floor, his face grim. His soul gently departed into the warp. His world had new rulers now, but it would live. He had made sure of that. Empires come and go, but his planet would at least now have a chance of survival.

In the throne room, the priceless art lay in pieces, bolt rounds and corpses littered the floors, the highly polished surface stained with the loyal blood of its defenders. The bodies of the valiant men who died fighting to the last second defending their leader scattered the floor. Scorch marks covered the walls, showing where grenades had left their mark. It was like a charnel house. The reaper had collected his toll this day.

* * *

Jaghati Khan, watched from the command ship, the capitol has been taken, Devestators ringed the walls and whirlwinds stood in the courtyard ready to rain death on any attackers, it was only a matter of minutes before the enemy transmitted the planets unconditional surrender. Glancing at his chronometer he smiled, a world conquered in a mere forty minutes was impressive! Luckily, without their leaders the defender's backbone faded, especially with his bikers ripping into the surrounding armies. Soon he might even beat his brother Horus's record. Moving to the strike cruiser flight deck he prepared to receive the planets terms and set up a new governor to manage this vassal world. Nothing could stand in the way of the Imperium.

* * *

**Colonel Marksman** - Thanks for the kind words, I hope you continue to enjoy the fiction and it meets your expectation. Believe me, the real fighting hasn't even begun to start yet. You haven't seen the Primarchs in action ;).


	5. Chapter 5: The World of Darkness

**Chapter Five:** The World of Darkness 

Darkness filled the halls and only a dim light shone from the glow orbs in recesses, deep into the gritty stone walls. Black armoured figures crept through the night, patrolling the corridors and maintaining security in the newly conquered fortress of shades; they saluted and parted as I wandered through this twilight realm. The combat had been harsh; many falling, battling the daemonic rulers of this world. But at last it had been wrested from them. The daemons screams echoed in the warp, this world would be cleansed and rededicated to the Emperor.

The silence and the foreboding atmosphere would have filled many men with terror, or even driven them to madness… but not I. Even the warlocks who have advised me for years cautioned me against the fortress. Evil magic was ingrained into the very blocks this building was made from. They called it a psychic footprint. However I feel safe here, the dark is like home, the atmosphere wraps around me like a blanket enveloping me in its black bosom.

Here I am, my power radiates from me and is amplified, every sense tingles, the memories of the battle fills my mind…

_The daemonettes circled round my troops, bolter shells and missiles exploded into their ranks, they laughed at me, they goaded me… they thought that I didn't have the power to destroy them all and they were wrong. As my troops covered us I sallied forth with my terminators. They danced around us cavorting in ecstasy and feeling the bite of my chainsword as it tore through their skin covering me in gore. My combi-bolter spat shells into their chests cracking open their rib cages and hurling them back into the warp demonstrating the impotence of Chaos against the Imperium's light. A greater daemon loomed above me, I stood in admiration of this beauty, the perversion of the daemon, and the raw power that it possessed… it motioned for me to come close and I wandered forwards my combi-bolter clattered to the ground. The daemonettes parted letting me through, my bodyguard continued to fight as I left them behind. I knew at that moment the glory of Chaos, the glamour it possessed. I looked at it and saw its true nature. I could feel its tendrils curling round my mind. Every ounce of the daemon's will caressed me, begged me to join it, to lead my forces against the Emperor. I came closer and as it kneeled before me, it asked me the simplest thing, it asked me to love it and it would be so easy to accept. Around me my terminators were struggling, their lines buckling and breaking. The daemonettes were in combat with my other troops now, my havoc's leapt forwards from their hidden positions with a shower of grenades and pistol fire and landed behind them. Now the daemons were in the middle of the hammer and the anvil. We were alone the Daemon and I. As I advanced to within a meter of this dark and magnificent angel, it looked at me and filled me with a sense of longing even as I thrust my chainsword deep into its throat. Surprise glimmered in its single red eye and it collapsed to the ground. Gripping its hair I pulled up its head and decapitated it. Holding the head up for my troops to see, I watched as instability gripped the remaining daemons and they began to shimmer and fade._

_I looked at the corpse on the ground and smiled. _

_"I am sorry daemon, your promises do not affect me, the night is my love, and there is no room in my heart for any other mistress. You never stood a chance."_

_Turning to my blooded and bruised troops I threw back my head and exclaimed._

_"Night Lords! I call to you, this planet has worshipped daemons and fallen to Chaos. The population has committed every depravity known to man… but we are more than men. You… my loyal legion, will teach them exactly what the price of heresy is!" Viewing my soldiers with a bitter pride, I knew that they alone understood on this world understood the price of failure and the corruption that Chaos can set in your heart. It is like a drug; it makes you stronger, more confident but ultimately destroys you._

"_Depopulate the planet; from children to geriatrics I want no survivors. Broadcast the executions to all the planets in the area, with the warning of what will happen to any that refuse to join the Imperium." We knew that people would never stop worshipping Chaos unless they had something they feared enough to keep them under control._

"_For all their heresy, for all their false hopes they had failed. We had prevailed even against the might of Chaos, the Emperors finest had won yet another victory."_

I relaxed on my throne, revelling in my own power, I, who could destroy worlds with a single command lingered before selecting a flask of the finest wine. I waited as reports of the massacre came in. No doubt father would disapprove as he always did, but already three worlds had offered their allegiance after only the first four hours of waiting. He cannot argue with the results of my methods. Worlds that I liberated from the hordes of Chaos rarely re-offended. The enforcers that I left behind kept crime to an almost non-existent level. After all they had the expertise of an ex-crimelord to lead their actions. Things were so much simpler when I ran my cartel, controlling the criminal activities of an empire, so much more black and white. It was then that I learnt that it was power that controlled the universe; those with it dominated those without. Some people were not strong enough to wield power, that was where people like me came into play, I controlled all the power that mortals were too weak to hold and used it protect them from themselves and those that would seek to hurt my servants. For I am Konrad Kurtze, Night Haunter and ruler of the dark.

A small rune appeared on my thrones display, tapping it I read the encoded report transmitted from the inner circle of warlocks. A courier had arrived, and father required my presence. Summoning my guards I prepared to move out. My flagship would leave with its escort immediately.


	6. Chapter 6: Death in the Depths

**Chapter Six: **Death in the depths

The harsh chatter of bolters echoed through the hewn stone corridors. The dank dripping walls we filled with a hundred explosions, rock chips blossoming forth in the wake of a torrent of bolt shells. The ancient arches groaned under the strain of the waves of firepower pouring into them.

Grum ran down the corridor, bolt shells crashed into the wall behind him. Pausing to attaching a melta bomb to the wall, he span and pumped a pair of plasma bolts into the closest Ork as it rounded the corner. Froth erupted from it's mouth as it's stomach was incinerated, it managed a few short stumbles even with a gaping hole in it's chest before being trampled to the ground by the horde behind him. An Ork paused to chew on the dead Orks flesh before being crushed by his brethren in there eagerness to tear apart the fleeing Squat warrior.

"Suck on this greenskin!" He muttered in between hate filled, ragged breaths, and then he was running again. He had run for miles, but his legs were short and the Orks had slowly caught up. His flak armour stuck to his skin, sweat holding it in place as he struggled forward, pain lanced through his chest as his heart pounded to the sound of the Orks feet. His only hope was to warn the brotherhood that the Orks had taken the mines and would soon be attacking from beneath. Just a few more minutes now until he reached the first signal point. The melta bomb erupted behind him, knocking him to the floor and bringing down a shower of rocks onto the Orks in pursuit. Leaping up he continued onwards, cheered by the howls of anguish reverberating off the walls. With shaky hands he pulled out the communicator, he was so close now that hope rose in his chest; he saw the signal point. A final burst of speed and he leapt to the floor stabbing at the communicate button, it crackled into life. Relief flooded his system and he shouted out

"Orks attacking through the tunnels, sector eight, hordes of them, tunnel guard has fallen!" His pistol blazed into life again showering the Orks with incandescent blasts of plasma. In the enclosed space the first Ork perished, but the Ork behind him merely used his body as a shield and kept coming. His breathing rapid, Grum pulled out an ornate axe from its shoulder holster.

"Come ta me Orks! And learn true Dwarven courage!" The axe hummed into life and hacked the dead Orks corpse in two; shoving the pistol into the gap he blew the second Ork back into the horde behind him. An Ork shell smashed into the wall behind him and then the third Ork shoulder barged him to the ground. Grum fought with the last of his strength to bring up his axe, but the Ork was too strong, pinning him down. His energy was gone after his long exertions. He tried to head butt the Ork, but his opponent's arms were too long. He fought on with every ounce of willpower and pride he possessed until the Orks comrades piled in stabbing with blunt hatchets and knives. They weren't content with just shooting him. After the long chase they wanted to tear him apart. Blood loss weakened him enough for the Ork to stop pinning him and reach down to snap his neck. Pungent ale ran from the broken hip flask at his side mingling with his blood. As the Orks trampled over his body, an escaped squig and a pair of grots began to feast on his carcass. The Orks continued past him deep into the unprotected heart of the stronghold.


	7. Chapter 7: Wolf Pact

**Chapter Seven: **Wolf Pact

In the desert above the mines, the winds howled, casting thick clouds of sand into the air. Massive gargants piled shell after shell into the walls of Thorgrims vault; the shields hummed and flickered under the strain of the immense bombardment but held. Cunning weapons and desperate defenders held back the green tide; the ruin was terrible to behold. The sands were stained green with Ork blood. The shields on the outer perimeter walls collapsed all of a sudden with a huge explosion, audible even through the sand storm. A solid ball round burst into the centre of the wall creating a massive breach. The defenders on the wall were hurled to the ground and there bodies broken and torn by the fall. The survivors tried to make it back to the inner walls, in a race against time as a horde of bikes, buggies and ramshackle trucks poured through. The dwarves send out a last desperate, defiant gesture as their hastily converted mining vehicles rolled out the gates and hurled mega-tons of death in the greenskins ranks. Orks were tossed about like rag dolls. Into their disrupted ranks the defenders poured a stream of their own bikers and trikes. Cover fire from the newly reinforced inner wall turned the entire area into a killing field for Greenskin and Dwarf alike.

Hargin rode forth; gunning his engine he took another swig from his bottle and burped, leaping a dune he turned with his brothers towards the centre of the horde. Dust swirled around him and he shook his beard with little effect attempting to get rid of the itching sensation of embedded sand. Rubbing his shades and grimacing he picked out the nearest Ork, bullets were pelting around him and he started weaving, downing the rest of his drink and spitting out the sand he hurled the bottle to one side with distain, pulling out his bolter he fired into the Ork ranks. Flicking a switch, a grenade popped into his hand, as he leaped the last dune he hurled it into the Orks, behind him the rest of his brothers cut into the Orks with him, the dust was so thick that you could see no more than 10 meters all around; thankfully this meant the Orks superior numbers meant little. To his right Grong fell from his bike. His head was torn off his body by a lucky shot. Squinting through the dust and incoming fire, Hargin spotted Grongs killer. Gunning the engine and spinning the bike round in a spray of sand Hargin rode down Grong's killer and put a bolt though his brain, knocking the corpse to the floor with a hobnailed boot as he passed. Muttering foul curses he turned too late.

An Ork, bigger than most of the Orks in this frenzied battle (though not nearly as big as they were in the Age of Isolation) leapt through the dust, blood oozed from his cracked lips and a manic gleam lit up his scarred and pockmarked face. Hargin swore and tried to turn, as the Ork smashed into him, knocking him to the ground and pressing him deep into the sand. He hooked his foot around the beast's leg and flipped the Ork to one side. Gripping his weapon he battered the Orks skull repeatedly with the butt of his bolter. He didn't stop until the skull cracked and he could be sure that the Ork was at least temporarily dead. Then standing he emptied the bolter into the Ork ranks and cast it to one side. Flicking a switch on his gauntlet, his right hand was covered in blue crackling energy. Spitting a potent mix of sand, blood and phlegm onto the scorched desert sands, he pulled out his bolt pistol and waded forward through the sands.

Around Hargin the conflict raged, the massive Land Train 'Thorgrims Hammer' was surrounded by an azure glow as its shields took the strain of incoming fire. For a moment they seemed to flicker as another salvo rocked the giant vehicle but then as the fire eased off for a second the shields stabilised and solidified. A group of Ork Kommandos tried a direct assault on it clashing melta bombs in there green fists but were driven back by a storm of bolter fire, one of the battlecars opened up and in a flurry of activity and sand; hundreds of Squats disembarked charging into the ranks of the Orks. He couldn't see far in the sand storm created by the sheer scale of the firepower being unleashed, but through the sound of massed artillery and marauding bikers he could hear the bestial cries of the charging Ork infantry. He planted his feet as firmly in the shifting sands as he could. Heavy bolter fire from the walls above him ripped into the charging Orks, he doubted they could see anything other than a moving cloud of dust. The effects were appreciative though. Sporadic return fire from the Orks started getting closer to his position, grunting he threw himself forward to take cover in a dune. Holding his bolt pistol ready for any greenskins that came near he slowly took aim. A bolt thudded into the sand in front of his face, luckily the shoddy Ork made round didn't explode, but sand still cut into his face. He growled, fury masking his face.

As the rush of Orks came into view he began pumping head shots into their ranks. Then he watched in awe as a rippling salvo of rockets burst into their ranks scattering them, the bikers rallied and rushed past Hargin into the Orks, leaving him spluttering in a shower of desert dust and sand. The Orks surprised at the ferocity of the counter attack broke and began to flee.

In the distance laser fire from low orbit was shredding the Gargants and hundreds of small gunships appeared behind the Ork lines disgorging an army of grey armoured troops. The Squats joined the new arrivals in the battle as the Brotherhood sallied out with its finest warriors to assist the bikers. Artillery pounded the enemy from behind the walls giving supportive fire. Soon there was silence. The squats stood facing off against the grey armoured troops. After a few tense moments a human with his helmet off strode through the ranks of his troops. The human had long grey hair, and his armour was adorned with trophies from past victories. He flicked his hair back, baring a set of fangs in greeting.

Hargin walked forwards, removing his gloves and dropping them to the ground.

"You came as promised then human"

Spitting and then rubbing together the palms of his hands, he held one out in an offer of peace.

Taking his hand in a firm grip the humans' eyes narrowed.

"Looks like you didn't need us; there was a Squat fleet no more than a hour behind us. Now do you have anything to drink in this forsaken rock or am I going to return to my ship parched."

Holding his gaze for a moment seriously, the dwarf suddenly laughed.

"You have my clan's debt human. Within an hour this fortress would have been in ruins, already I have troops dashing down to the mines to reinforce our tunnel guard. We would have been caught in between a hammer and an anvil… falling back to the very interior of the mountains themselves. Our relief force would have taken a heavy toll relieving us if at all it succeeded, your help was needed, and it cements our friendship. We will agree to your terms as broadcast, we will petition the high king to sign a peace treaty with your Imperium and our clan we will supply your forces with fresh ammunition and supplies as your advance against the Orks in this quadrant. The Spaces Wolves have the eternal friendship of the defenders of Thorgrim's Vault, well met Leman Russ!"

Clapping his back, Russ bellowed.

"Good! Today we are heroes, let us drink to future victories! And recall old ones."

Slapping his thigh, two giant wolves ran forwards and flanked the two departing warriors. Laughter was heard in the distance as they swapped tales of past glories.

On the Space Wolves flagship a summons was received from the Emperor, and a lone strike cruiser departed with a small escort the next day carrying Russ back to Earth to meet his father.


End file.
